Redefining Perfection

Life’s most beautiful moments are often wrapped in imperfection.

We all wonder if we are enough and worry about the opinion of others. Reading a book recently reminded me that the most beautiful things are often imperfect. Let me explain.

The book was one I originally read two decades ago. And it’s a book that fundamentally changed my life.

It’s called Overwhelming Odds, and it is the unauthorized biography of my life written by two people who knew me better than anyone else: my parents. It details their experience of having a child burned, of trying to keep a family together, of witnessing the community show up in mighty ways, and of experiencing the transformative power of grace in action.

Though I’ve read it many times, while reading it again, I was caught off guard by how often I had to close the book and wipe my tears! In one particularly moving section, Mom writes about how the experience changed not only how she felt about the idea of perfection, but redefined it so she could see it more clearly in others:

“It was somewhere during these debridement, grafting, and release surgeries, somewhere between sitting at John’s bedside, walking the halls at night, praying for healing and begging God for a second chance at life, that I came to redefine, in my heart, what it even meant to be beautiful, normal, and desirable.

Because I came to realize that the world would not see John as fitting these categories as before, and I could not share in the world’s biased judgment of my little boy.

That realization, decades ago, not only freed me immensely from inner struggles, but also has opened my heart profoundly to the inner beauty of others.”

My friends, we all wonder if we are enough. We too often measure our worth through the impossible lens of perfection. And in doing so, we become incapable of fully seeing how our wounds can be the potential sources of wisdom, mistakes can be opportunities for a message of hope for others, and our brokenness can be a brilliant reminder of what it means to be truly beautiful.

Decades ago, Mom redefined perfection. That choice changed the way she saw her burned little boy. And in time, it also slowly changed the way I saw myself.

Today, look beyond the imperfections in the mirror and seek a far more valuable identity. Recognize that the scars exist because wounds have healed. And know that in redefining perfection we won’t just positively change our lives, but those lucky enough to do life with us.

Today is your day. Live Inspired.

I recently had the honor to sit down with Scott LeRette, another parent who learned to embrace life’s messy, beautiful moments, on my Live Inspired Podcast. Scott is a husband, father and author of The Unbreakable Boy, the book that inspired the recently-released film of the same name. My friends, if you need another reminder that life’s most beautiful moments are often wrapped in imperfection, this conversation is for you.